A Scottish footballer abroad?

Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven joined Celtic when they might have been better spreading their wings a bit

As an Arab, seeing Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven hightail it out of Tannadice with unseemly haste was bad enough.  That their destination was Celtic Park made it an even more bitter pill to swallow. Personally, what made that outcome about as painful as it could be was my assumption, erroneous or not, that both had ambitions beyond Scotland, perhaps even on the continent.  But like so many before them, they chose only to move eighty miles west.

So why Celtic?  Why (still) Scotland?  I doubt that either player would have difficulty adapting to a career abroad.  They have the technique to flourish at a higher grade; indeed, I’d argue both are more suited to the sort of football played in Germany, Spain, or Portugal.  Their erstwhile teammate Ryan Gauld has shown that a gifted Scottish player need not feel inferior at that level.  GMS has already been out of Scotland once - he went down to Liverpool as a youngster, all the way from Thurso.  So, he’s used to living away from home, in a place where the natives speak a very strange language!  

Twenty-five years or more ago, staying in Scotland would have made sense.  But the world is a much smaller place now.  What’s stopping young Scottish (and, indeed, British) footballers from wanting to test themselves in a completely different environment?  Of course, the easy option of staying in Scotland is still a pretty good one for these guys – more money, a greater chance of medals, and automatic selection in the next Scotland squad.  And the one after that.  And the one after...you get the picture.  But surely they can't all feel the same?  Don't any of them want to improve their game and look at their profession though a completely altered prism?  They could enjoy a different lifestyle, learn a new language, live in a country where the weather is conducive to training outside twice a day, all year round.  They could even play on half-decent grass pitches.  

I doubt it's related to education; I don’t subscribe to the “most footballers are thick as mince” view.  They may not have the academic qualifications due to their career, but they will probably mirror society as a whole.  Armstrong is obviously an intelligent, sensible young man with his head screwed on, as he's sitting a law degree in his spare time!  I’m sure that if many had their horizons broadened, they would have no problem adapting.  I’m loathe to use Ryan Gauld as an example, as his story is so unique, but nevertheless there must be more that can do what he has done so successfully.

Personally, if I was a twenty year old in a first team SPFL squad, I’d have my agent checking out options all over as my contract wound down.  It might not be Sporting Lisbon, but who knows?  You’re out of your comfort zone, but isn’t that the challenge?  After all, the Scottish people have traditionally exerted a disproportionate influence globally due to their ability to rise to such a challenge over the centuries.

The central European Slavic countries, whose domestic leagues are surely not dissimilar to ours in quality, similarly produce countless young footballers who perform at the highest levels across all European leagues. The result of this is when Scotland play teams like Montenegro, they often have one or two players who are playing for top Italian or German teams.  We, by way of contrast, can boast a couple of West Bromwich Albion players, if we're lucky.

Perhaps the lack of any foreign ambitions in the average Scottish professional simply down to the fact they lack the economic hunger to succeed? After all, life in a Scottish town or city is far removed from a Macedonian village.  That should certainly explain some of the reluctance to become an economic migrant, but all of it? What about the Icelanders or Scandinavians?  They’re hardly escaping lives of poverty.  

There are a couple of final points to make. Firstly, I am in no way denigrating the game in Scotland. On the contrary, I see rising standards, good young players breaking through, a welcome emphasis on coaching and youth development, with the concomitant investment in infrastructure.  But it would surely benefit the national team to have two or three in the squad thoroughly imbued with a different approach to the game.

Secondly, I could justifiably be accused of overlaying a twenty-something footballer’s life with my middle-class and middle-aged sensibilities.  A few hours’ training under a clear blue sky, followed by an evening sampling the manzanilla and tapas in the local bars of a Spanish city – what’s not to like?  Fair enough, but nevertheless, I still believe is it shocking that there is only one quality Scottish player playing abroad (I don’t count Jack Harper, as he is Spanish to all intents and purposes) in this day and age.

In summary, my message to young Scottish professionals; be Ryan Gauld, not Barry Ferguson.


Peter Clark saw Dundee United win the league at Dens in 1983. His wife suspects everything since has been a bit disappointing.